To Destroy The World
by smallishcrab
Summary: Travelling all alone, a young boy named Shota meets Fairy Tail's strongest S Class wizard. What happens next would shake Gildarts and Fiore to the very core. Nothing could prepare him for what kind of power the boy possessed. Powerful!OC
1. Chapter 1: The First Step Toward The End

AN: This story was inspired by ServicePrivacy and his fanfic called Quake! The only thing that would overlap in our stories would be the use of a devil fruit or rather the powers of one, nothing else. I would highly recommend checking out his story because it is one of my favourites on this site even though it was never finished.

I don't own anything regarding to Fairy Tail or One Piece.

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Our story begins in a small village in the Northwestern side of Fiore. A small river village with nothing to do but fish and try to make a living. It was quiet and serene for all who lived there, perfect for simple people who wanted to live simple lives. Nobody in the village knew magic or anything of the like. Except one.

A small boy who looked to be around 10 years old was slowly making his way through the dirt roads throughout the settlement. He wore a bandana around his head that kept his short brown hair out of his face. It swept off to one side slightly and even the slightest touch on face bothered him immensely. His mother had given it to him when he was very young, noticing how much her son hated the annoyance. Every time he would have to take it off to bathe the boy would be constantly reminded of his enemy as well as forever thanking his mother for her gift. The bandana was a light gray in colour with criss-crossing blue zigzag lines going all the way around. Moving further down you could see more simple clothing on his person. A white t-shirt and dark blue pants covered the rest of his body. Finishing with a pair of old and worn out shoes. Overall there was nothing that made the boy stand out. But then again, that's how he liked it.

Simply passing through town, looking for anything he could scrounge together that would somewhat amount to a full meal. Of course, he was having no luck. Cursing his misfortunes he didn't notice a tall man slowly approaching him from the front. If he were to have been paying attention to his surroundings, his instincts would have told him to stay away from tall, dark and scary. But alas that was not meant to be. Only noticing him after being flagged down, the older man bent down and seemed to pause for a second. Possibly noticing the partially frightened look on the small child's face. Unexpectedly, the giant of man who only got bigger the more the boy looked at him, asked a simple question.

"Hey, do you know where I can find the nearest bar in town? I've been searching for almost an hour and can't find anything that resembles one."

On the outside the boy was the perfect representation of calm and collected, not at all phased by the man's seemingly stupid question. On the inside however, he was already becoming increasingly frustrated with the newcomer. Obviously he wasn't a native to this village by not knowing where the local bar was. Not his fault the boy guessed.

After seeming to think for a few seconds he pointed in the opposite direction he had been walking, indicating where the man needed to go. A smile adorned the giant's face after receiving the answer and let out a loud thanks in return. Slowly rising to his feet and walking away leaving the child to continue his hunt for food.

"What an idiot." the boy let out in almost a whisper. Not trying to be loud enough that the surrounding villagers would hear him.

"Who in their right mind would ask a child where the local bar was?" the boy thought questioningly.

It was this thinking that brought on the bad mood that was now forming. Being a local, might make the situation a little more bearable but unfortunately that wasn't that case either. He could have asked anything of the tens of villagers lining the streets at that moment but instead the man had to choose the only person in the whole town who hadn't originated from the immediate area. So, in a fit of karma, the boy had just pointed in a random direction to spite the traveler.

The rumbling of his stomach snapped the boy out of his stupor as he continued and failed to find food for himself. What he didn't know was that he would be seeing that man again, and much sooner then he would have liked.

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A mere few months later we can find the same boy traveling through an ordinary town, this one being much larger than the last one, but still of no real importance. After asking for directions form a local farmer, he learned that the town was called Shirotsume. Walking past a rather large mansion, the boy thought to himself how nice that family must have it to be able to afford such a luxurious estate. These kinds of thoughts were nothing new as he had always dreamed of having somewhere nice to spend his days. After his mother and father died in a raid by dark wizards in his hometown, he had to fend for himself. Obviously going back was pointless simply due to the fact that after everything valuable was taken, the evil wizards had burned down the rest of the town. He was fortunate enough to escape without being seen but nobody else made it out as far as he knew.

This town evidently was an upgrade from the last as there were a lot more people to steal money from. Stealing was never the first option but was his only one as there was no work to be found for a 10 year old boy. Unless he could somehow convince a legal guild to accept him, the life of a petty thief would have to do.

Suddenly the boy felt a rather large hand place itself on his shoulder startling him slightly. He mentally reminded himself to not get caught off guard again because if this was going to become a habit, it would annoy him even more than his hair. Turning around to face the person who had actually noticed his presence amongst the crowd of people he was met with a face of dread. It was the same man that he had met in the river village a few months back! This was bad. Was he mad about giving him wrong directions? It seemed harmless enough, after walking around for a bit he could just ask another person who would surely point him in the right direction that time. Or maybe he was so angry that he wanted to take his revenge for the kid that caused him so much trouble? Was he a Dark Mage? A quick scan only furthered that thought as a guild mark couldn't been seen. Then again, all he could see was his exposed arm that was attached to his own shoulder and the man's neck and above. Getting a closer look the boy was met with a stern face and long, slicked back orange hair and stubble lining the man's face. The large man was mostly covered in a long, black, high-collared and tattered cloak with shoulder plates. Peeking out from underneath the cloak where heaving boots that were surprisingly simply looking.

"Aren't you the kid I met in the other town? I looked all over and couldn't find the bar you pointed to! I guess my sense of direction really is bad!" the giant said laughing at his own misfortune.

"And sorry I didn't introduce myself last time, I was in a bit of a hurry since I had been traveling for a while and hadn't eaten in a few days. " he continued.

At least that was why he looked scarier the last time I saw him. Definitely a hundred times more friendly looking now.

 _"I guess he's not mad at me either, best case scenario worked out I guess."_ the boy thought mentally.

"The names Gildarts, and I'm a wizard from the Fairy Tail guild." the man spoke up once again.

"Shota." the boyresponded in a whisper.

"Sorry what was that?" the now named Gildarts replied back.

Attempting to make actual conversion was harder than Shota thought but he would have to try at least. "Shota. That's my name." he said casually.

Over the past year Shota had only spoken to a handful of people, only really being talkative with his parents. But without them there was nobody to really talk to and he was really shy around strangers. Gildarts was probably the only person that actually spoke to him in that time frame.

"Oh! Sorry about that, couldn't hear you the first time." Gildarts confessed. A smile rejoining his facial expression after the confusion.

Just then, at the worst time possible. Shota's stomach shook again, loud enough that Gildarts could hear it. Honestly, it was embarrassing the first person he talks to in over a year and this has to happen. Probably karma for tricking Gildarts the last time they met.

"You sound hungry. Why don't you come with me to grab something to eat really quick? Think of it as a thanks for helping me out that time." the mage quickly offered.

Not being one to pass up on a free meal Shota quickly accepted the offer and joined Gildarts on their short walk to the nearest restaurant. Surely nothing can go wrong by getting something to eat with a person he has only known for all of 2 minutes. Right?

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On the way, Shota noticed a change in atmosphere around him, mostly pertaining to Gildarts and the way he carried himself in public. Not being overly opposing but instead only giving off a vibe of confidence. Whether that was because he was arrogant or actually strong remained to be seen. Maybe he just took a couple low ranked missions and is riding on that streak. Completing easy missions always brings the spirits up. But no matter how strong Gildarts was or wasn't; there was no way he would measure up to the power passed down to him from his Grandfather. Shota never really knew his Grandfather, only coming to visit every once and while, and to train the young boy in his magic. Of course being so young, Shota was only shown the basics and was left to develop his own mastery by himself. And that is just what he did. Over the past year he travelled all across that country, attempting to master his magic. Never being able to stay in one place because of how destructive it was, and not wanting to be linked back to the incidents his magic caused. Always on the run and always alone. Perfectly describes his life up until this point.

Again, berating himself for zoning out, they arrived at the restaurant. Oddly enough the sign on the front of the building only said 'Food', showing how small the town really was. The two sat down in a booth together and while Shota conservatively ordered a small sandwich, Gildarts ordered one of everything off the menu.

"What kind of monster lives in your stomach for you to be able to eat all that?" Shota said with his mouth practically on the table.

"Well, a big man like myself needs a big meal to satisfy my hunger!" Gildarts responded cheerfully. "Now why don't you tell me a bit about yourself Shota? Why were you travelling alone? Do your parents know where you are right now?"

"There really isn't much to say. I just kind of roam around wherever I feel like and try to keep myself alive. And I was by myself because my parents are dead. They were killed by a Dark Guild last year when they raided my town." Shota replied meekly.

That was definitely not what Gildarts was expecting when he asked his question. This is their second time meeting and both times he has seen the kid, it was when he was by himself. Obviously not thinking much of it the first time. The safety of the town would protect the kid from any unwanted trouble and as long as his parents trusted him not to come home too late it would fine. But now seeing the kid a couple towns over the response he got made sense. At this point, what Shota said really sunk in to Gildarts' mind.

 _My parents are dead._

Out of everything Gildarts could have said, why did he have to asked about the kid's dead family! Seriously were the odds of that happening?

Trying to cover up his mistake, "Oh wow, I'm really sorry. I didn't know."

"It's fine, nothing really I can do about it know. Just my luck I guess. Out of all the children in the world to lose their whole family, it had to be me."

Feeling even worse than before, Gildarts could only hang his mouth open. For the first time in a while, Gildarts was honestly speechless. What this child had to go through as young as he is, and act so maturely. It was almost unheard of. From that moment on the Fairy Tail mage knew this kid was special. Before he could speak again, Shota suddenly countered with a question of his own.

"You said you were a Fairy Tail wizard right? Is that a guild?"

After hearing that, Gildarts' mood almost did I 180 and instantly he was prepared to give the kid the whole lecture.

"Of course I am, Fairy Tail is the number one guild in the entire country! I was actually just coming back from a mission at the Holy Castle, just west of where we first met. Why the sudden interest?"

Shota was kind of overwhelmed at just how loud and powerful Gildarts' voice was. "Well yeah, right now I only scrape together what I can and live off of that. It would nice to join a guild and get real work. And then maybe I could get some advice on how to control my magic a little bit more." The last sentence only came out as a whisper but the other man heard the whole thing.

"Hey, how about this, I've got another job to do before I can return to the guild. You come with me and I'll test how strong you are. If you can impress me with your skills you can join the guild no problems."

After hearing this, Shota immediately perked up at the prospect of going to join an actual Legal Guild. Finally he wouldn't have to steal from various people across town. Finally he would not have to sleep in tree when all he wanted was a warm bed. Finally. He might have people to replace the ones he lost.

A determined look appeared on the young boys face as mentally prepared for whatever challenge Gildarts could throw at him. Unbeknownst to him however, Gildarts was watching the myriad of expressions on Shota's face with high interest. Going from excitement, to sadness, to what looked like hope. Of course, Makarov would take the kid in a heartbeat, no questions asked but Gildarts wanted to test the boy. To see what he meant by trying to control his magic more. Out of all the people in the world, he was the one who could relate to that prospect the most. Being the cause of half the destruction across Fiore a prime example.

After inhaling an inhuman amount of food, the two set off towards the Mysterious Canyon described in the job request. The request specified at least 2 highly capable S rank wizards to complete. Remembering the location of the job, Gildarts wonders if he should have said that they would be going on an S rank mission.

"Pfft, I'm probably strong enough to take on a simple S rank mission by myself. Even if it is a bit harder now that I have to protect the kid while doing it."

Little did he know then, but Gildarts was in for what would be the craziest mission he had ever been on. Past, present or future. Nothing could prepare him for what he would see from the small boy he was currently walking with.

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 **And that's it! Hope you enjoyed, I already have the mission planned out and ready to go, just need to go into some fine details to flesh it out. Drop a review if you want, I would really appreciate it! This is my first story ever so give feedback! Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2: World Turned Upside Down

As the two began walking out of town and towards the site where their job would take place, Shota wondered if going with Gildarts really was the best idea. They had only met a few hours ago and by this point there was no way he could tell whether the supposed Fairy Tail mage was telling the truth or not. It seemed a bit suspicious that the older man was leading him away from his Guild rather than towards it. Shouldn't they go back to make him an official member? While at the restaurant, Shota had learned that Fairy Tail was located in a town called Magnolia. Gildarts explained that it was almost 3 times as large as the town they were currently residing in.

Now, he may have lost is parental figures early on in his short life but Shota was not stupid. If he remembered correctly, Magnolia was Southeast of Shirotsume; not Northwest. So why would they be coming back the way that Gildarts initially came? He said he had a mission at the Holy Castle and now they were heading to the Mysterious Canyon. That old river village was right in the middle of those two places. There would be no reason for Gildarts to go backwards instead of going off in search of his next job site. The more he thought about it, the more the young mage began to lose trust in his new partner.

" _Better get to the bottom of this quick before we get too far outside of the town._ " he reasoned quickly.

After finishing his thought Shota spoke up almost immediately.

"Hey Gildarts, why are we heading this way out of town? Isn't it the same route to your last job?"

This was perfect! If he could find out the motive for Gildarts taking him out this way quickly, he might be able to escape without hurting the poor guy. Generally confident in his abilities to fight, the old man would have no chance to catch him! After what happened in his past, there was no way he would lose more misfortune to another Dark Guild.

"Well because the Mysterious Canyon is this way kid." Gildarts dryly said.

"If you just finished a job at Holy Castle then you could have just went straight to the Canyon afterwards! Why come back to Shirotsume!?" his companion shouted in slight anger.

"There is a lot you don't know about the magic world Shota. After I finished the job, I had to come back and get payment as well as confirm with the person who gave out the job that it was completed. That person happened to be here in Shirotsume." he spoke sagely.

Upon hearing this Shota suddenly stopped walking altogether. This was what he was afraid of. Gildarts was honestly a good person who he could learn from and he was throwing away that opportunity. All these doubts that were circling around in his young mind were bound to get him in trouble eventually. There was just nothing he could do to stop himself. After the incident, Shota had learned to fend for himself and trusting others was just not in his nature. Both as a child and as someone who was generally a shy person. An introvert some would call him.

All of this inner turmoil went unnoticed by Gildarts as he just kept walking down the dirt road. After shaking himself from his thoughts for what seemed like the 5th time that day, Shota ran to catch up.

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The rest of the trip was done in silence. Gildarts, unknowing of his partners struggles with past demons, only noticed surface level emotions. The young boy was obviously distraught about something but he couldn't tell what it was. It couldn't have been something that he said right? Thinking back, his careless speech patterns could have come out and made him say something to offend the child. This was why he could never have children. Too much hassle and work for someone like him. He was a ladies man and a good one at that. Priding himself on his ventures with the opposite gender. A kid would only slow him down. How ironic he would come to find later...

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As they came upon village both man and child began to experience a feeling of... something coming from the town. The two couldn't quite put their finger on what the feeling actually felt like, but it was definitely negative in nature.

Taking out the job request from the sack slung over his shoulder, Gildarts began to read over just what they were supposed to be doing. The request specifically said to send at least 3 S-Class mages but he was confident he could make up for lost manpower. Noting the meeting place as the Mayor's Office, he quickly told Shota to keep up as they headed to their destination.

Once inside Gildarts flagged down what looked like a secretary and asked to meet with the Mayor.

"Oh you must be the ones who accepted our mission request! Thank heavens you came so quickly!" she excitedly shouted. "I'm assuming the rest of your team is waiting outside?"

"Nah, just me and this kid here. Don't worry we'll be more than enough to do whatever is required." the Fairy Tail wizard responded.

This answer forced a personality change in the secretary. She disliked the idea of only having one person here to complete their request. There was no way she would count a pipsqueak like that kid to be anywhere near qualified enough to do any real damage. But with no other choice, she led the supposed mages down the narrow halls of her office building and right into the Mayor's room.

Brightening up once he caught sight of his saviours, the Mayor quickly leapt out of his chair and welcomed Gildarts with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. Unlike his secretary, he didn't even question the fact that he looked to be the only S-Class mage coming as well as the small child that was practically invisible at this point.

Gildarts was quick to calm him down and asked for a more detailed explanation of what they would be doing as the paper sent to his guild was very vague without much information.

"Ah yes! Of course, of course. Well the situation here is getting more dire as each day passes. About a year ago a small gang of thieves came down from the mountains and proclaimed that they would be needing volunteers for a project they were working on. They called themselves Tainted Mind, a guild who had given up trying to be good and instead turned evil. Initially they didn't go into much detail as to what their plan was but it obviously not something good."

After taking a small drink of water and trying to calm the upcoming nerves the Mayor continued his story.

"There was no way that I would be letting them take anyone in my village as test subjects so I declined their proposal. Unsurprisingly that was the wrong thing to say and the leader said they would be taking people by force instead. And that is how it has been ever since. Once a month the same band of thugs comes down from their base in the mountains and take one person from our village."

At this point the Mayor was almost sweating and his feelings towards his town's misfortunes clearly seen. Again going unnoticed by anyone else in the room, Shota's feelings were getting the best of him. Another Dark Guild terrorizing an innocent town. It was a bad feeling of déjà vu.

"Is there anything you can tell us about what these people are planning to do with the villagers?" Gildarts said whilst standing up.

"Actually there is. Sometimes the guild members that come down are drunk and tend to be a little bit more open with their plans. A few months ago, one of the lower ranking members spoke about a small portion of what they were doing. They called it Kalthur, a beast that was sealed away in the mountain. They are apparently trying to resurrect it in an attempt to rule the world. He also said that in a few more months they would be able to do just that!"

Gildarts took a second to absorb all of the information he had just learned. Basically reasoning that what was happening here was typical Dark Guild activities. Almost every Guild has the same plan of ruling the world. The only thing that was different is how they would go about achieving such a goal. Although he had never heard of such a beast, there was nothing good to come if a Dark Guild was willing to resurrect it and even worse if they thought they could rule the world if they did. They probably didn't even need the villagers, only using them for their sick pleasures.

Vowing to make things right, Gildarts assured the Mayor that they would go to the Guild Hall and stop whatever the dark mages were trying to do. On top of saving the villagers that were taken of course. Grabbing Shota on his way out, Gildarts was more determined than ever to complete his mission. He was the only one who could save these people. And by God, he was going to do it.

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After almost 5 minutes of walking once exiting the Mayor's Office, Shota finally struggled enough to the point where Gildarts let him down. Taking a moment to gather himself while still on the ground, he finally leapt up and was about to reprimand his partner for the hard treatment but suddenly froze. The look on Gildarts' face was probably the most intense he had ever seen in his young life. Nothing could compare to the intensity on the experienced mages face right now. It was at this moment that all of the doubt about Gildarts and his supposed over confidence; Vanished. It was settled. There was no way that someone could look like that and not have the power to back it up. Just the aura he was giving off dwarfed his previous one by many times. Without seeing him fight, use his magic or even encounter an enemy, Shota knew that Gildarts was strong. Extremely strong. Finally getting enough confidence in himself as well as his partner he adopted the same feeling of intensity. Not as much as the person walking next to him but he would like to think it was pretty close. It wasn't.

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Finally, after about 30 minutes of climbing up the side of the mountain, an abnormally large set of doors could be seen placed into what looked like a whole in the side of the rock formation. This was obviously the base of the Tainted Mind Dark Guild because honestly, who would place a door in the side of a mountain.

Without hesitation, Gildarts gathered up a large amount of his Crash magic within his enclosed fist and proceeded to completely obliterate the 12 foot tall doors. Unlike the after effects of a normal punch where pieces of the door would be scattered around the surrounding area, due to the effects of Crash, both doors instead burst into even smaller pieces. Those pieces began to scatter around the now exposed Guild Hall as well as adding a significant amount of wind that followed shortly after.

Once the doors were out of the way, Shota could see what they would going up against in this fight. Initially noting the carving out of the stone of the mountain to form some type of manmade cave. Obviously to make their base of operations. The room was about 30 feet across, 40 feet long and 12 feet high, matching the height of the doors. The only real thing to note in the immediate area were four 10 foot long wooden tables. Also, hanging on the walls were torches, probably used to light up the dark and dreary main lobby. Furthering the assumption was the fact that there were no windows that could be seen and the torches being the only source of light in the whole room. Finally, at the very back of the room was a large staircase that led to somewhere Shota was unable to view from where he was standing.

Moving to the living things, there were about 30 people in all lining the wooden tables. All had been quiet until a sudden gust of wind had blown through their front door. None of them had noticed that the actual door was missing. After coming in contact with Crash magic, there really was nothing of the door to be seen. Some of the guild members were initially stunned while others were beginning to show a quick temper. They hadn't had anyone ever challenge them so what was happening? Did that old man they call a Mayor call someone to come and deal with them?

Most of the mages that Shota could see really didn't stand out in any way and looked really normal if he was being honest. None of them really looked threatening and most could probably only use the basics of one kind of elemental magic. There had to be someone stronger than these guys right?

Just then, Gildarts began to charge in. Again imbuing his fists with Crash magic he began to utterly wipe the floor with the lesser members of the guild. Darting in with speed that was unlike his build he quickly ducked under the punch of one member to his right. Doing a 90° turn he thrust the back of his forearm against his attackers chest sending him flying into the opposite wall.

Without warning, a blast of flames sprouted from a source behind him. Thinking quickly he took the edge of his cloak to shield himself from the oncoming blast of heat. After the flames began to die down, Gildarts came up from behind his cover and punch the air in the direction of the spell. Without any kind of protection the three mages who combined their fire attacks were sent flying into the wall exactly like the first guy.

Following up he stomped the ground, again using Crash Magic to strengthen his attacks, he sent out a shockwave as well as the now destroyed floor of the room. This attack took most of the people in the room off guard forcing them to lose their balance. This included Shota as he struggled to keep himself straight up. Up until this point he had thought that Gildarts' confident nature was the result of a couple easy missions to help boost his ego. This was not the case. He was wiping the floor with these Dark Guild members like they weren't even a threat to him! For the first time in his life, Shota believed that there was someone who could best him in a fight. He was honestly in awe. So much so that he didn't notice the few mages who slipped past Gildarts creeping up on both sides.

He was promptly attacked by all 3 enemies and quickly overwhelmed due to his small stature and their fully grown bodies. There was nothing he could do counter. His mouth was covered so shouting at Gildarts for help was currently out of the question. The most important part however was the fact that they held down both of his arms. The white bubble that signified the use of his magic appeared around his right fist. But without any way to move, it was useless. A lapse in judgement and thinking cost Shota as the thugs then dragged him to the other end of the room and started up the stairs. If he were to have thought a little bit more, he could have remembered that his fists weren't the only things he could attack with.

By this point almost half of the initial wave of mages had been soundly defeated by Gildarts. Most in one hit. Suddenly remembering that he wasn't alone right now, Gildarts darted around in an attempt to find his temporary partner. Someone who he was supposed to be testing no less! A confused look started to form on his face as the kid was nowhere to be seen. Another blast of magic, wind this time, shook the large man out of his thoughts. Good timing too. After turning around to deal with the person who attacked him, Gildarts noticed the 3 members he missed carrying Shota up the stairs and away from his care.

The other members noticed this as that had been there plan all along. Tie up the big guy to kidnap the kid. Once their infiltration squad was out of harm's way, the remaining members began to produce barriers of all different elements blocking off Gildarts from the back of the room. Walls of earth, fire, wind, water and mud all rose up from the ground. These weak spells were nothing to an experienced fighter like Gildarts and he quickly disassembled them using his own magic attacks. Unfortunately, the significantly weaker guild members had numbers on him and they were putting up barriers faster than he could take them out. The only way to get past would be to either slow them down in their casting speed or take out enough to the point where the amount of walls wasn't an issue. Deciding on the latter, Gildarts got to work on defeating his opponents. He only hoped the kid could hold up until he could get to him.

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The stairs that guided the small group further into the Guild were very dimly lit, not allowing Shota much visibility. Of course it didn't help that he was still being held down by no less than 3 of the guilds members. The only way that he would be getting out of this would be to hope that Gildarts finished up with the grunts quickly. Or the less likely option, they let him go, allowing him to punish them with his magic and ending the fight right then and there. It was stupid to think that they would let an enemy go free without some kind of restraint but... maybe. He was just a child after all. Maybe they would underestimate him and let their guard down.

With his new plan in mind, Shota stopped struggling in an attempt to do just that. Make himself seem like less of a threat. The ones carrying him thought that he must have finally given up and seen how futile his struggle was. He would be the last piece they needed to resurrect their great beast.

Coming up further ahead a small opening of light could be seen emanating from the floor. Upon closer inspection one could see that it was a door at the end of the tunnel. After such a long time creeping around in the dark, the sudden release of light that accompanied the opening of said door shocked Shota so much that he had to quickly close his eyes.

Once he was confident enough to open them again, he was horrified to see what looked like a stone alter in the middle of the room. The many torches that lined the walls gave Shota a good look at what he was about to face. But the worst part was what was behind. A large stone statue sat at the back end of the room, just behind the alter. The statue had a rather peculiar design. The top of its head was flat, underneath were two round eyes deeper into its face. A large nose sprouted from in between and two large slabs of stone made up the mouth and chin. It wore what looked like a necklace around its neck and 2 long slabs on either sides of its body signifying arms. The actual body was a giant cube that connected to its legs. Again two large pieces of stone, round this time that resembled two pipes. Separately, there was a another long piece of stone that was thicker at one end leaned against the statues right side. Possibly a weapon of some sort. Just looking at it made the young boy shake in slight fear. If this was only a statue of the beast they were trying to resurrect, he couldn't imagine what the actual thing looked like.

Just moments after the door was opened, the lone man in the room turned around in alarm. Noticing the boy his members were holding gave him an idea of the possibilities presented to him.

"Is this the last one we need for the ritual?" the strange man said sinisterly.

"Uh yeah boss! This kid came charging in with some older guy a little while ago! I think he's a mage that came to stop us! We should hurry before he gets here, the others won't be able to hold him off for long!" the grunt replied.

A sudden look of surprise was seen on the bosses face after hearing this revelation. Of course those legal guilds had to come and stop him right before his triumphant moment. But this was the last one they need to unseal the monster that lurked within the mountain. Only one more sacrifice was needed to break the seal.

"Quickly! Put him up on the alter so I can get on with the summoning ritual!" the leader shouted.

A little startled at the tone used, the grunts hastily dragged the boy who still wasn't giving them any trouble. After reaching the aforementioned alter, they let go of the boys arms in an attempt to shove the boy on top. That attempt would be there downfall. Shota had been patiently waiting for his moment to strike when he was finally set free. This was that opportunity. Getting his hand free, he immediately felt his magic flow through his body. The boy quietly whispered _**Kabutowari: Helmet Break**_ as a familiar white orb surrounded his fist and he smashed it into the grunt directly to his right. The result was almost instantaneous. A controlled quake like explosion went off within the sphere and sent the vibrations through the body is was connected to. The grunt was promptly thrown against the wall much like Gildarts did earlier. The abrupt movement from their capture caused the other two to drop him unceremoniously. Being fully released this time, Shota gathered up even more magic in his right hand and swiftly slammed it into the ground. The shockwave that followed knocked everyone in the room off their feet. The whole mountain shook in response and almost caved in as a result. The only thing that kept that from happening was the fact that they were so far deep in that the density protected the room.

Getting up as quickly as he could, Shota turned around and pointed at the supposed leader.

"Where are the villagers that you took!" he shouted, anger evident on his face.

The still unnamed leader let out a small laugh that turned into an evil cackle in the end. Suddenly becoming very serious, he cryptically said "The villagers?! They were all sacrificed to resurrect the great Kalthur! They will all be remembered for their heroic acts once I have completed by life's dream!"

This came as a shock to Shota. He had originally thought that the villagers taken were just to amuse the Dark Guild members as they prepared to summon Kalthur. But instead, every single one of the people taken were sacrificed and their life energy consumed by the counter seal.

"Sacrificed?! How could you do that to innocent people?!"

"Because I am the chosen one! I will be the one to control this mythical beast and control the entire world. Nobody will be able to stop me. There is no mage in the entire country that is strong enough to defeat Kalthur. Not even that silly old man that came in with you! And I only need one more sacrifice to complete my ambition, and that's you kid."

Ending his long tirade, the leader began to make his way over to the fuming boy across from him while preparing his own darkness magic. He would make it no closer however as once again, Shota concentrated his magic, in his foot this time and stomped on the ground. And once again the shockwaves of his attack threw his opponent off balance. It was here that the dark mage realized there would be no way to defeat this kid. He knew there was small chance if he was able to get the jump on the boy but from where he was standing there was no way to do that. So instead he stumbled across the room towards the alter.

"Well whatever! 14 people should be enough to weaken the seal to point where I can release Kalthur." he shouted angrily. Quickly gathering his magic energy, he slammed both hands onto the table as runes began to appear all around him. Shota tried to run and stop the ritual but another large shockwave knocked him down before he could.

 _"Must be Gildarts finishing up with the weaklings downstairs"_ Shota guessed.

Black Tendrils began to seep out of the alter and started to feed themselves into the adjacent statue. And with that, the ritual had been completed and Shota had not been able to do a thing. Just as the last few were pulled from the alter, the door was smashed down. Exactly like how he and Gildarts had first entered the base. Without warning, a blur shot past him and seemed to be aiming for the Dark Guild's leader. As the blur got closer and closer, Shota could see that it was in fact Gildarts rushing forward in attempt to stop the summoning. But it was too late.

Gildarts slammed the Dark Mage with his forearm, decking the man into the alter and completely destroying it. No doubt he was knocked unconscious after that attack. However the damage was already done. At this point, the whole mountain started to shake and pieces of the stone statue as well as the ceiling and walls began to crack around them.

"C'mon kid we gotta get out of here before the cave collapses on us!" Gildarts warned.

Without even explaining the situation, Shota ran after his partner in an attempt to get to safety. The run to get out of the base took a lot less time than getting to the secret room. Probably because they were running instead of walking. Gildarts had probably found out about the sacrifices because he made no mention of saving the captured villagers. Eventually the two made it out just as the cave behind them crumbled. For a second, Shota felt sorry for all the people that had just died but there was nothing he could do about it now. Now panting much harder than Gildarts, he still wasn't able to convey the information he had learned whilst talking to their leader.

"Well kid I would say that this was a job well done! Pretty easy mission if you ask me. Not really worth the S-Class ranking but a small challenge nonetheless. Those villagers were probable just scared and over hyped the whole thing." Gildarts proclaimed.

"But... Gildarts... there is a mons-" Shota tried to say in-between breaths but was cut off abruptly.

Just as he was about to explain what happened, a huge explosion of rock a debris erupted from the mountain behind them. What followed was the most terrifying thing that he seen in his whole life. Kalthur was awake and definitely pissed off.

Kalthur was almost exactly like the statue pictured him as. He even took the appearance of a giant statue. The beast looked to be about 75 feet tall, easily towering over the two of them and almost reaching the peak of the mountain itself. It was made out of stone and surprisingly dark fur. Kind of taking the shape of a giant monkey. It had 3 large stone slabs on either shoulder denoting some kind of armor. Another ring of stone around its biceps and large gauntlet like gloves that were also made of stone. Its legs were actually that of a minotaur that made it look like he was crouching with hooves on the bottom. But the scariest thing by far was the stone mask that it had covering its entire face. The mask looked to be frowning in a sense. Its eyes were glowing, while the iris was pulsating, surrounded by black with a deep pupil in the middle. To top it all off, the great beast was hold a giant stone battle axe just like the statue inside depicted.

Gildarts' mouth was honestly on the ground. He was speechless. This was the biggest thing he had ever seen on a mission. And he was an accomplished S-Class wizard for gods sakes.

"This is what I was trying to tell you earlier! Before you beat that leader guy, he finished the ritual to summon this thing!" Shota shouted from beside him.

Well there was no use crying over split milk. Gildarts reasoned he had to do something and do it fast. There was no way he would be able to use his magic on this thing from this distance so he would have to get closer. Hopefully without the beast noticing.

He began another trek up the mountain in an attempt to get the monster in range but it seemed to sense him almost immediately. With a heavy swing of its axe, it completely decimated Gildarts and the entire area surrounding him. The Fairy Tail wizard was knocked back to where he started from. Only this time Shota could see him nursing a heavy amount of injuries. No doubt from the enormous hit he just took, coupled with the fall down the mountain.

If even Gildarts couldn't defeat this monster, then how in the world would he be able to. Unfortunately he didn't have much choice in the matter as the monster locked its gaze with the young soon to be hero. Steeling his nerves, Shota prepared his most devastating attack to date. Bringing his arms up, he seemed to grab the air itself.

Gildarts watched in fascination. He had meant to test the kid but after he got kidnapped, playing around wasn't an option anymore. This would mark the first time he had ever seen the kid use his magic, or even fight for that matter. What Gildarts would witness in the next few seconds would change his view on the magic world as a whole. How some kid could have the power to destroy the world was beyond even him.

Shota pulled down the air he had somehow been holding.

 _ **Shima Yurashi: Island Shaking!**_

The whole mountain landscape was turned upside down. The entire structure of the mountain began to crumble at the power used in the attack. In an instant, the beast Kalthur as well as the mountain were dropped on their heads. What could be seen know was only a barren valley rather than a large mountain.

Taking the opportunity of his opponent being temporarily thrown to the ground, Shota rushed forward jumping off a large extension of the debris and launching himself into the air. Again choosing to call out his attack Shota used his momentum to use an extreme amount of force to punch the air right in front of the downed beast.

 _ **Kaishin: Seaquake!**_

The punch somehow formed cracks in the air and followed up with an enormous shockwave that engulfed Kalthur completely. The force of the attack destroyed an remains of his opponent as it was crushed into dust. There would be no way to tell the remains of the monster from the remains of the mountain range that Shota had just destroyed.

Gildarts was in awe. Ironic considering Shota had felt the same way when he had seen him fight for the first time against those grunts. But this was not the same. The amount of devastation that Shota caused with just one attack was honestly unbelievable. Gildarts thought he was dreaming for second but quickly snapped out of it. By this time however he could see his partner laboring to return back to him. Running to catch the kid before he fell over in exhaustion, Gildarts heard one thing.

"Did I pass your stupid test?" he squeaked out before he fell unconscious.

"Ya kid, you did." he responded with a small smile on his face.

Slinging the kid over his shoulder, Gildarts began the long journey back to the village to tell the Mayor of the good news. As well as suggest a possible name change for the Mysterious Canyon. Considering there was no canyon left.

By the time Shota woke up, the two were already on their way to the next destination.

Next stop, Fairy Tail.

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 **Holy! That was like double the length of the last chapter. I honestly thought I would be writing really short chapters for the duration of this story but I guess I was wrong! Anyway, if you have any questions for me about myself or the story just send me a PM or drop it in a review.**

 **Also, I know I forgot to add the year from which this takes place and I did that on purpose. You'll have to wait for the next chapter to see where we are at in the present story line. I'll give you one hint though, it's before canon. So before x784 pretty much.**

 **In regards to the attack names, they will be in Japanese followed by a semi colon and finally their English translation. I know some people don't like the Japanese version because you don't know what they are saying but the English version is just too boring for me. So I added both.**

 **Hope you enjoyed! Peace!**


	3. Chapter 3: Plot Set in Motion

After the battle on the mountain had concluded, Gildarts made his way back down to the village to collect his payment. The villagers were eternally grateful for what the mage had done but were also in a state of sorrow. For they would not be getting their fellow villagers back from the clutches of the Dark Guild. While they thought their people were only being captured, they were actually being sacrificed to unseal Kalthur from the mountain. On the bright side, the villagers could now live their lives without fear of being kidnapped or being killed.

Collecting the mission payment as well as getting many grateful responses from other people around town, Gildarts began his long walk home. Obviously still holding Shota over his shoulder because the kid was still passed out. He began to reflect on his mission a little more. It started off relatively normal, a Dark Guild trying to take over the world or do some nefarious activity at the expense of the people around them. He would never understand how they could do such a thing to innocent people. Or even how they became Dark Mages to begin with. There were good people everywhere he went but they are just as many bad people all the same. That was why he had become a mage in the first place. In a land where magical abilities were the norm, he could train himself to make a difference. Going from town to town and seeing all of the people who needed help drove Gildarts to become a better person and to try just a little bit harder in his endeavors. Whilst obviously still making time for the ladies as well. Couldn't forget them.

Focusing his thoughts back on the mission, it all seemed pretty normal even by his standards. Being an S-Class wizard, he was used to fighting huge monsters and defeating entire Guilds on his own. The only thing that made this time any different was the kid he was currently carrying. At first he thought that he would test him and see how he did on lower level opponents but by the time he heard what was happening in the town his easy going nature vanished. He had become so caught up in his own emotions to help the village that he completely forgot what he was supposed to be doing. Even after engaging the enemy, only once the kid had been snatched up by some thugs did he remember his temporary partner.

With that sudden urgency to go save him, he realized that had been the Guilds plan since they walked in. Separate the two in hopes of either stressing Gildarts out or using the kid as a sacrifice. Luckily he got one the members to talk about their plan and that was how he learned of the other villagers fate. And soon to be Shota's as well.

It is well known that Gildarts is very bad at holding back his own strength but even so, he would never use his maximum power and effort against lowly thugs like the ones he was facing now. However once he heard that; Gildarts lost his temper yet again and completely demolished his remaining opponents. Rushing to where the other three had taken him, he once again busted down the set of doors blocking him from all the action and was relieved to see the kid alive. He quickly incapacitated another mage who he supposed was the leader, he led Shota out of the mountain as quickly as he could. Thinking that everything was safe because the other members said that one more sacrifice was needed to awaken their beast and if the kid was alive then they couldn't do it yet. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

He heard some mumbling from Shota but who was silenced once the mountain started to tremble. What came out was _huge_. Bigger then Gildarts excepted if he was being honest. He was already heavily fatigued from using up too much magic power from his earlier fight. More than he would have liked against fodder mages but his emotions got the better of him and he would pay for it now. Getting blasted away instantly was not part of his plan. If he was down from just one attack he wondered how he was gonna beat this thing before it went on a rampage around the surrounding area. The answer came from an unlikely source.

Gildarts smiled when he remembered what happened next. Something he would not forget for the rest of his natural life. The kid who he thought was weak would have no chance at defeating a monster such as this pulled out a devastating attack. Not only bring the huge golem to its knees but also flattening a good part of the landscape as well. By the end, he was glad he found the kid when he did. Who knows how much trouble he could have gotten into if left alone. Of course Gildarts would know because his magic was just as destructive! In a few years the kid might take over his spot as the Ace of Fairy Tail.

After being released from his thoughts of the mission, Gildarts finally realized just how far he walked without noticing. He was in a desert of all places! Well, at least it looked to be the tail end of one because in the distance he could see a line of trees that noted a change in scenery. It was now that he felt some rustling from the person on his shoulder. The kid was probably starting to wake up. About time too, it was almost mid day and they had left the town at sunrise!

By the time Shota was actually fully awake Gildarts had reached the forest. Sensing this, he set the younger mage down on his feet while rubbing out the sleep in his eyes.

"Waaa- What happened?" the boy said sleepily while beginning to walk with his partner.

"We're headed back to my Guild after the mission was over. I already collected that reward and carried you about halfway back already." Gildarts responded.

After what happened with the monster and passing out following the battle, Shota half expected himself to have some sort of amnesia about passed events but he could remember everything clearly. Going to the town, hearing the story from the Mayor, Gildarts beating up most of the Guild's members and finally his own battle with Kalthur. He had never really used his magic on another living being, only trees, large rocks and stuff like that. It was good to know that no matter who or what he used _**Quake**_ on it was going to extremely effective.

 _ **Quake**_ was the magic that his grandfather taught him before his town got destroyed. He would come once a month to train a young Shota in his signature magic. Only starting with the basics like how to unlock your magic and gathering it for yourself and it was then that Shota learned of his own affinity for his grandfathers magic. Once he began teaching him how to use it, the boy had no problems in harnessing its power and executing powerful spells. It was something that he and his grandfather took great pride in and only motivated the two of them to work even harder. His 'teacher' had also trained him in hand to hand combat and various kinds of light exercises. Nothing to strenuous because of course Shota was just 6 years old at the time, but enough to the point where one could see results in the sparring that followed.

Over the past year Shota had honed his own abilities with nothing else to do. He had first worked on his melee combat and developed a self made style that fit with his magic. A style that relied on close range dodges and evasion with quick devastating counterattacks using his magic. Either propelling magic towards the opponent or focusing it to a single point on their body almost guaranteed him victory close range. Mid and long range however were his specialties. Having the ability conjure earthquakes and tremors with the flick of your hand would do that. The range on his attacks was massive and the devastation to the surrounding area that _**Quake**_ caused was frankly ridiculous. To the point where he could uproot entire cities if he so wished. A good example of this would be the fact that in his very last battle, he had flattened an entire mountain with just two attacks.

Shota loved his magic.

And now he was going to join Gildarts in Fairy Tail and become a legal mage himself. The other Guild members must be strong if they had to be tested before gaining entry. Shota couldn't wait to get started and begin doing missions. Unbeknownst to them both, a dark figure had been following them ever since they had left the small village. Vanishing before he could be seen to tell his master what had transpired there only a day ago.

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Finally coming upon the town called Magnolia, Shota had stars in his eyes as he gazed upon the vast area that made up the settlement. It was so much bigger than what he was used to. He normally stayed in smaller towns to avoid being seen and keeping out of the public eye so this would mark the first time he had stepped foot in a major city.

It took the two another day to reach Magnolia and by now the sun was just coming up. Shota could see the various shop owners setting up their businesses for the day. Restocking shelves, sweeping excess dirt and some drinking their morning coffee. As soon as these people got a look at Gildarts however they started to gain a look of uneasiness and fear.

Over the trip back, Gildarts had explained his own magic and how it could be very destructive as well. He even joked about the fact that he would sometimes get distracted and walk into buildings, destroying them with a single touch due to his magic.

Remembering the peaceful look of the villagers previously, Shota took it upon himself to guide Gildarts away from other buildings and pretty much everything in general. When he would get a little too close, the smaller mage would push some of his magic Gildarts' way to keep him on track to Fairy Tail. The townspeople sent him grateful nods and gestures showing their appreciation for his hard work.

The journey to the actual Guild took less time than he thought but it didn't matter now. Soon he could become a real wizard and nothing else mattered. Slowly pushing open the door what Shota saw was absolutely, positively not what he expected at all. There were about 40 people in all inhabiting the Guild Hall and they were all passed out on the floor, tables and one guy was even hanging from the beams on the ceiling! He noticed Gildarts walking over to the bar and followed. He also saw him poking something or someone that was laying on the counter.

That someone began to wake up and he was the shortest person Shota had ever seen. He knew that people grew shorter as they got older but this old man had to be no taller than 3 feet! A bald head with hair coming around in a circle focusing in the back as well as a large white mustache made up his head. He dressed pretty casually, with an attire consisting of a white shirt with a black Fairy Tail stamp in the middle under an orange hoodie. He also wore matching orange shorts and an orange and blue striped jester hat. From the dazed look on the man's face and the passed out Guild members scattered around the room, it was a good bet to say there was some kind of party here last night. While he was scanning the rest of the room, the old man spoke up for the first time.

"Oh, it you Gildarts. When did you get back from your missions?"

"Hello to you too Master. We actually just walked in a few seconds ago. I'm assuming you guys had fun last night?" he responded with a smile.

These words took a moment to register in the young mages mind but they eventually did he was shocked at this new revelation.

"YOU'RE THE GUILD MASTER?" Shota shouted.

Noticing for the first time the small child that was accompanying his Ace, Makarov quickly put on a face of confusion. Gildarts was never really one to get along with children and especially to have one of his own. Something must have happened on his last mission if he brought this little one to the Guild. Ignoring the kid's outburst he gestured to his office at the top of the stairs and asked the other two to follow him.

Once inside Shota could see the walls were filled with bookshelves and many books lining them. Papers, more books and stray magic items were strewn upon the floor throughout. In the back of the room in front of the window there was a small desk with two chairs sitting in front with another one in behind. Probably for the Master to sit in. It was funny to see some of the books stacked on the Master's seat, most likely because he couldn't see over the desk without them.

After all three were settled Makarov took about 10 seconds to merely observe the boy, watching for any kind of reaction or emotion. The only things he saw were typical of a child inside of a magical guild. Rays of excitement, anxiousness and nerves were racking his facial expressions and he couldn't blame the boy. Fairy Tail was the number one guild in all of Fiore!

Again making a gesture, towards the youngest person in the room, Makarov needed only one word to convey what he wanted.

"Explain."

Unsurprisingly it was Gildarts who spoke up and tried to explain the situation to his Master. How he had completed his first mission with no problems, met the kid in a nearby town and how he had misinterpreted the directions given by the young boy. He continued on with their second meeting in Shirotsume with how the two met again, grabbing food and deciding to test the kid to see if he was worthy to join Fairy Tail.

It was here that Makarov noticed the game Gildarts was playing. Obviously this kid was special if their Ace wanted to test him before joining officially. Fairy Tail was not one of those Guilds that only took in the strongest wizards and rejected all who weren't up to standards. No, instead his Guild was built on the foundations of family and welcoming all who do not have a home to go to. That was what kept the old master going each and every day. Knowing that he had his children to protect and watch grow into splendid young wizards.

The Ace then went on to explain their second mission and everything he knew about what the Dark Guild was doing to the nearby town. Taking villagers to sacrifice to their 'God' and resurrect him for world domination. It sounded pretty ridiculous once he was explaining it himself. Proceeding to detail the battle that went down after and the unsealing of Kalthur. Leaving out how the beast had been defeated because he wanted to see the old man's reaction when he told him the kid did it all himself.

Makarov took in all of the information quickly and tried to weigh his options. On one hand he could send the kid back out onto the street and probably lead him to some kind of horrible mistreatment and possibly death. On the other he could take the kid in and nurture his growth into one he would be proud to call his doing. To watch the boy grow and become a powerful mage that helped all who were in danger.

It was a good thing he the old master only had one hand in situations like these.

"Well that definitely sounds like an adventure to me. Shota, are you sure you want to join Fairy Tail?" Makarov asked sagely.

After a quick glance at Gildarts, Shota immediately turned forwards and gave his new Master a firm nod to show his decision.

The Master's expression did a 180° and now only a huge smile could be seen on his face.

"Perfect! Go back downstairs and ask for one of the members to get the stamp. We can fill out all of the paperwork for your introduction later once I have spoken to Gildarts some more."

Again nodding to show that he understood, Shota got up from his chairing, thanking the Master for his kindness in letting him into the Guild and quickly left the office to go get his Guild mark. After he was gone the serious look on Makarov's face returned and silently asked Gildarts for a more detailed explanation as to what happened. There was no way that his most powerful member just brought home some random kid from off the streets. Complying with his Master's wishes, he began to detail what actually happened on the mountain.

"And then he smashed the monster with his fist, cracks forming in the air when a massive shockwave demolished it. That kid is a monster in the making and he has to be trained right. Who knows what kind of destruction he could cause if left alone?" Gildarts finished as he let out a huff.

Makarov after hearing what had really happened decided then and there that he wouldn't let another one of his children go over to the darkness like his son Ivan had. Shota would be safe here at Fairy Tail where he will grow as a mage and as a person.

"Also, isn't your grandson about the same age as the kid?" Gildarts suddenly said.

"Yes, Laxus just turned 10 a few weeks ago. Maybe they could become friends but with the way he had been acting since his father left, it's more likely to turn into rivalry instead."

With nothing left to discuss, the two strongest mages of Fairy Tail left the office and prepared for the celebration of a new Guild Member. In time, they would come to realize how much this moment mattered in the grand scheme of things and just how true and false Makarov's statements would come to be.

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 **Shorter chapter this week because I'm busy and the next part I didn't want to add onto this one considering it was longer than expected. Concerning the time from which this story is starting, if you don't want to look it up, Laxus was born in X761 which would make the current year X771! A year before Gray and Cana officially join the Guild. So you'll have to wait a little longer for interaction with Canon characters.**

 **Remember to leave a review!**

 **Next Time: Shota's First Solo Mission**


	4. Chapter 4: The Big Catch

**AN: Regarding the small bits in the last chapter that don't make sense now, they will later on in the story. I have a definitive storyline that I am going to follow and these tidbits of information are all part of it. If you're looking for a canon rehash then this is not the place for you unfortunately. As much as I love Fairy Tail I'm not going to just add Shota into every single story arc in the anime. Right now I have him in minimum one and maximum two before the story ends. I don't know how long it will take but I will finish this story entirely. It will take a while for us to get to canon but I am hoping to introduce the main cast in about five chapters hopefully. Anyway, hope you enjoy and thank you to everyone for the reviews and support!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OC. Use him if you want in your own story I don't care.**

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Upon exiting the office after his meeting with his new Master, Shota decided to actually take a look around the building a bit more now that his emotions were somewhat under control. Considering Makarov's office was located on the second floor he realized that there were actually only two floors to the Guild Hall. All of the members were still on the ground floor as expected however some were starting to wake up.

He suddenly remembered his talk with Gildarts prior to arriving and how the second floor was off limits to anyone who wasn't an S-Class wizard. Which essentially meant that only him or the Master could go up there normally. Quickly jogging down the stairs to the unrestricted area the young boy wondered what to do first. His mind was made up for him when a young man beckoned him over from his place at the bar. Strangely there was already a mug in his hand, most likely some kind of alcohol if he were to guess from the state of everyone else.

The man was wearing a light blue v-neck sweater that looked like it needed to be changed. There were dirt marks, stains as well as some blood covering some parts. Had he just come back from a mission and Shota just hadn't seen him walk in? The rest of his attire was fairly simple consisting of beige long pants and simple black shoes. Nothing fancy but something that looked presentable in most situations. His hair was a dark blue however and was spiked up on the top and went well with the man's handsome face and short stubble on his chin. Overall he looked fairly young in comparison to someone like Gildarts and was most likely in his early to mid 20's.

Finally making his way over Shota wondered what the man wanted. He wasn't a member of the Guild yet officially so what business would he have with the young boy. Suddenly becoming nervous again he took the last few steps with small amounts of hesitation in preparation for what was to come. In the end he had nothing to worry about as the man just wanted to know who the small child was.

"Hey, you're new here I'm guessing since I've never seen you before. I'm Macao Conbolt." the now named Macao introduced.

"Shota, and I just got out a meeting with the Master and he said I could join. I was just wondering what I should do first. He said something about a stamp?" Shota responded feeling better knowing the Macao meant no harm.

"Oh the Guild stamp! It's kind of like a tattoo that goes somewhere on your body. It's just to show what Guild you belong to if you are out on a mission or somethin'. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt at all." the older man responded. As he was explaining what the Guild stamp was, Macao stood up and swiftly dashed around the bar, looking for something underneath. His voice fading in and out depending on where he was crouching.

Finally he exclaimed a shout of victory as he held up what looked to be a normal stamp.

"Ah ha! Found it! We actually haven't had a new member in a while so it was a bit hard to find beneath all the clutter but here it is. Now where do you want your mark kid?"

Thinking for a few seconds Shota had to really think about where to put it. If what Macao said was true and it really was some kind of tattoo then it would most likely be permanent. So this one spot he decided would be where it would stay forever.

After some internal deliberation, Shota decided to get it somewhere that wouldn't be overly painful to cover up should he have to but also somewhere he could get easy access. He put his right arm out and flipped it upside down the underside of his forearm could be seen. Pointing to the spot where he wanted it, the procedure only took a few seconds and when the stamp was lifted there was a new light blue symbol on his arm.

"My next guess for what to do would probably be to find some place to live. Go explore the town a bit and get your bearings before coming back. After that you can do a mission or two to get enough money for an apartment." Macao said next.

With his next course of action Shota got up from the bar, thanking Macao as he left and went to explore the town a little bit more. Moving from street to street he got the same feeling as the first time he walked through with Gildarts. A sense of belonging and worth filled the young boy enough to the point where he decided his life goals then and there. He would protect the people of Magnolia with all his heart. That was what it meant to be a mage. Protecting those who could not protect themselves.

Some of the townspeople started to congratulate the young mage on joining their local magic guild and for also protecting their livelihood from Gildarts. The man was a menace when he wasn't paying attention. Maybe they could design a way to keep him out of reach from all of their businesses while guiding him right where he needed to go. It was something to think about for the future but right now they had customers to attend to.

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It had been three weeks since then and Shota was honestly settling in nicely. Over the past few weeks once Shota had been formally inducted into the Fairy Tail Guild, he had been acquainting himself with the actual Guild building, the other members and the town itself. Makarov had been nice enough to let him stay in the Fairy Hills building free of charge up until this point while he got settled and everything but now he would have to produce his own income. Today would be the day that he would take his very first mission.

Taking a look at the mission board there were very few jobs left that he could actually complete. Most were D and C ranked requests that were asking for some kind of physical labour that he found not worth his time. If Shota was going to exert himself over a mission it would be one with a high reward. Of course he also need about 100,000 Jewels to pay for rent. So alas there was really only one job he could take. It was the only A ranked on the board so it was an easy decision. Without even looking he flashed the piece of paper to Makarov who marked that he had taken the request officially and he went on his way.

As he was exiting Magnolia he realized that he should probably look at where the job was taking place so as to know where to go. Luckily it was in a location that he had yet to visit but always wanted to go to. Akane Beach! Apparently they were holding some kind of fishing contest for their Summer Festival and the one who caught the biggest fish would receive a reward of 100,000 Jewels. Reading the last part Shota had to double take at what the piece of paper was saying. He wasn't even guaranteed the reward money unless he won first place?! No wonder it was still on the board at the end of the month. There would be no way to beat the pro fisherman that would no doubt be entering the completion. Even with magic anyone who entered would still be at a disadvantage!

Regretting his hasty decision Shota sighed but kept on the path that left Magnolia. It would take about a day to reach Akane Beach from where he was starting so he could use this time to create some kind of strategy on the way.

What he didn't notice because of this, was the lone entity stalking him from behind.

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Magically, a day later, just as he had predicted, Shota strode confidently into the resort that was built just inland of the beach where the competition would be taking place. The first thing he would have to do is actually register for the event. It would be a huge waste of time if he accepted the mission only to miss the actual signups. Today would be the last day to enter and the actual contest would be happening later that afternoon.

Most of the competitors who were already registered were lining the hallway and registration office. Eyeing down the small kid walking into their territory seemed frightening at first but then Shota realized something. These were fisherman. Common fisherman. There was nothing to be scared about. He had a fool proof plan that would guarantee him victory. Taking his attention of his competition, he strode up to the desk and gave his information. Name, Sex, Age. The usual for things such as this.

After all was said and done, the lady working the front desk informed the young mage that the contest would be starting in just a few short hours. So with time to kill, Shota again strode off to find a quiet corner to relax in before he had to go compete. Closing his eyes for a few seconds proved to be a slight mistake however because he had underestimated just how tiring his journey to get here was. The few minutes that he was to lay down turned into a few hours and before he knew it, Shota was being woken up by an announcer calling for the last time that all competitors must come down to the docks to start.

Faster than anyone else could see, Shota got up and started running as fast as he could towards his destination so as to not lose before the event even started. Dodging tourists, staff and what looked like a giant cyborg with strange blue hair, he finally made it to the docks with only seconds to spare receiving a heartfelt look from the woman who most likely be the referee during the competition.

Once everyone had quieted down, she spoke up and welcome everyone to Akane's annual Fishing Contest. She then went on to explain the rules and they went as follows:

Rule 1) _A boat must be used in order to traverse the permitted area from which the competition takes place. There are markers in the water showing how far you are able to go. If you don't have a boat, one will be provided to you free of charge._

Rule 2) _There is no teaming and everyone who entered is a one man team. Anyone caught helping another person is to be disqualified immediately. Sabotaging others is also not permitted and will also result in disqualification._

Rule 3) _The person with the largest catch at the end of the time limit is the winner. All competitors will provide one fish that they are to enter as their catch. Only one entry is allowed and once you have submitted your entry there is no withdrawing it or exchanging it for another fish. The largest fish will be determined by weigh-in. The contest will last 3 hours._

Once the rules had been explained to everyone, the crowd dispersed and everyone began preparing their boats and any kind of equipment they would need. All those who didn't now have a boat or fishing rod were to report to the lighthouse just down the coast to collect their materials.

The boat the was provided was a small dingy and barely enough to fit even two people, let alone a supposed giant fish. The fishing rod itself wasn't that bad however, probably made to combat these kinds of fish. He would have to make due for the competition.

When fishing, most fisherman don't reel in the fish right off the bat because they still have a lot of energy left. That is why it takes so long to actual catch fish, especially large ones. You have to fight with it, and tire it out before reeling it in. This would the best strategy for fisherman but for Shota is was the opposite. He did not need to tire out the fish because he could just beat them with his magic. That was the plan he came up with on the way to Akane Beach. After getting a fish on the line, he would swiftly defeat it with his _**Quake**_ magic.

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After about half an hour of preparation it was time for the actual event to start. It was signaled with the ringing of a loud bell. As soon as it was sounded everyone pushed their boats into the water and started to sail away with most of the competitors moving to the back of the playing area. It would be reasoned that the larger fish would be located in the deeper parts of the ocean.

Shota stayed in the middle of the pack. Not too close to the mainland so as to catch small fish by the shore but also not too far out because of the traffic that was ensuing. His plan was to quickly move from fish to fish and incapacitate them to find the largest fish. By the end of the time limit whichever one was the biggest would be the one that he would submit. It was pretty much the only thing he could do to balance the playing field. While the fisherman had their experience it would take time for them to catch larger fish. Shota had almost no experience in fishing but could actually catch his fish much faster. Evidently it evened out.

For the first hour or so all that was popping up were small Bony Carp. Bony Carp are small fish only about a foot in length. They made up most of the wildlife population around the resort and therefore they were in abundance for the days competition. Off in the distance Shota could see some people already bringing in relatively large fish. They were most likely Large Mouth Bass. These fish were about 7 feet in length and fed on the its smaller counterparts. They would annually come to this beach to lay their eggs because of the warm weather and leave farther south once the weather got colder. So just like the Bony Carp, they were also being caught in droves for most of the fisherman.

Another hour passed and still the only thing that Shota could find were the smaller fish in the area. He had found some Bass but they weren't very big and definitely smaller than average as well as smaller than the ones everyone else seemed to be catching. At this point he reasoned that the person with the largest Bass would be the winner and he would have no chance.

At that moment however he heard a large shout from one of the boats farthest away from the starting point. By this time in the afternoon most of the people had already gone into shore, satisfied with their chance at winning with what they had caught so there weren't many still on the water. The best idea would be to stay and fish until the end to see if one could catch something bigger but these were just regular fisherman. They just didn't have the same amount of stamina that wizards had, even being experienced in fishing itself.

The boat that had released the loud shout was now making its way back to shore with some kind of large fish being towed behind. From where Shota was stationed, he couldn't quite see what fish it was, but it was definitely huge. Bigger than any other bass caught today.

When the boat passed him he saw that it was no Large Mouth Bass, it was a Saw Toothed Marlin! These fish were almost unheard of in this area and also incredibly hard to catch. It was a ridiculous 19 feet in length with a long fin going from the middle of its back all the way down its tail. Due to the fact that it was being towed on its side meant Shota could pretty much see the fish in its entirety. It had circular shaped fins at its sides while the underbelly was white in colour. The top half was a dark blue with lighter blue spots sprinkled all the way down its body. Finishing with a large sword like appendage sprouting from its face. The fish looked absolutely terrifying and the young mage wondered if there was anything in these waters that could beat it.

With only about 30 minutes left in the competition he would have to hurry up and find something or else there would be no way for him to win. Now that the bay was clear of most people, Shota decided it was time to head further out in hopes of finding something worth his time. Unfortunately, he was also getting frustrated with his lack of progress so to speed up the process, the boy gathered his magic within his hand and thrust it downwards towards the sea. The result was a large shockwave that shook the entire area underneath Shota's boat. It proved to be a rather bad idea when an even larger rumbling was sent back in response. The water was starting to displace and something huge was coming up to the surface. Judging from the shadow that appeared soon after only proved that point.

Suddenly, large tentacles started to appear all around the boat and trying to count them would give anyone a headache. The main body of this monster took no time in making its appearance as a large squid like creature popped the top of its head from underneath the surface. A loud roar accompanied its entrance as its drew in the attention of the competitors who were still in the water. To nobody's surprise those same people made quick work of whatever was no their line and hastily made their way back to the mainland. All but one person. Shota didn't run away, this was his only chance at actually winning this stupid contest.

One of tentacles tried to wrap around his small boat but he quickly retaliated with a quake fist that sent the appendage flying in the other direction. Making his own move, Shota threw away his fishing rod and brought both hands up in the forms of fists. He then slammed both into either side, creating cracks in the air. Just like the last time he used this move, massive shockwaves were sent out both ways. In return however, large waves began to appear on both sides and were rapidly growing. They grew so much in size that they could be classified as tsunamis.

They smashed into either side of the squid, knocking it around for a short while before it finally surfaced again, looking a lot more damaged than it did previously. The beast then let out another mighty roar as multiple tentacles this time shot towards Shota. And again with his enemy entirely in front of him, the young mage realized that he would not win this fight if he kept holding back. Putting all of his strength back into his fist, he sent another punch towards the squid. This time however it had a definitive effect as the monster recoiled. Blood was now starting to come from the wound on its head as well as some dripping from its mouth, no doubt from some kind of internal bleeding. There would be no way that it could win the fight now. In a last ditch attempt, the giant squid made a mad dash towards the young boy in hopes of taking him out quickly.

It proved fruitless however as another strong right hook connected with its body and knocked the beast out cold. To an outside source watching from the beach, the fight looked to be rather one sided as the squid hadn't even touched Shota at all the entire time. But looking closer you could that the boy was breathing heavily and struggling to remain standing inside the boat. He had never used that much magic in his attacks before and now he was almost completely drained of magic energy.

Luckily for him the squid kept up its momentum towards the boat and was not too far away once Shota caught his breath again. Quickly tying a rope to the sea monster he begrudgingly and slowly rowed himself and his catch to shore. Most of the spectators were standing and staring in complete awe of what they had just witnessed.

The crowd that had been surrounding the fisherman who had caught the Marlin ran instead to see an even bigger catch and the person who would be a shoo in to win the contest. The man was left standing beside his catch alone and incredibly angry. He had won the last three contests in a row and this year he had even caught a rare fish! There was no way he could lose! And to some kid no less! His anger slowly dissipated as he figured there was nothing he could do and that there was always next year. He also silently thanked the kid for getting rid of the monster he hasn't even known was there. Who knows what could have happened if the thing was never beaten.

Once arriving back at the shore, Shota was welcomed with loud shouts of congratulations and cheering for winning the contest. Obviously there would be no reason to weigh in any of the other fish because there was no way it was bigger than the Giant Squid. It was a historic event for everyone that had witnessed it as a 10 year old boy had caught the largest fish in the competitions 50 year history.

While the cheering and praise was nice for a few seconds, the fatigue of the fight caught up to the young boy and he flopped down soon after, sleeping peacefully. Some generous people in the crowd offered to carry Shota up to his room to rest. He could collect his winnings tomorrow.

And so, the Summer Festival went on as usual, a large party was held that night in honour of the large catch. Of course, Shota slept through the whole thing. Dreaming about a boy in a straw hat, riding on top of another giant squid like creature. Maybe his dream had some kind of meaning? Nah.

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 **Yay for filler! I don't know if the next chapter will be another solo mission, a team mission or something actually related to progressing the story but I'll see in a few days.**

 **Also, virtual high five to whoever gets the reference from the "Saw Toothed Marlin". I had to modify it a little bit but the actual description I got from somewhere else. See if you can guess where it's from!**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


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